Verizon Online Helps Customers Reduce Junk E-mail with 'Spam Detector' Software from Brightmail

NEW YORK - Verizon Online customers now have a new weapon to fight unsolicited e-mails, or "spam." The company is providing all its dial-up and broadband Internet access customers nationwide free access to Brightmail's^TM spam filtering software.

The software, known as Spam Detector^SM, sweeps a customer's e-mail box and sidelines suspected spam into a separate folder. That folder is stored on a Verizon server, where the customer may review it at any time.

"It's not always easy for an e-mail user to identify spam from the subject line but Spam Detector spots it easily," said Mitch Dornich, Senior Product Manager for Verizon Online. "It saves customers time and precious disk space by separating suspected spam from regular e-mail and putting it on Verizon Online's server instead of the customers' hard drive."

Verizon Online began offering Spam Detector in select markets in May 2001. It's now available to customers nationwide. Dornich said the new Brightmail filter is helping Verizon Online stop between 750,000 and one million spam messages per day.

A number of Verizon Online customers sent thank you's to the company for providing relief from the barrage of unwanted e-mails. Many customers said that they saw an improvement to their inbox almost right away.

Brightmail has found that the majority of spam falls into two categories -- "get rich quick schemes," or "deals" on products/services.

How Spam Detector Works

Spam traveling through the Internet is identified by the Probe NetworkTM, Brightmail's network of strategically placed e-mail addresses. The Probe Network collects spam for analysis by Brightmail's Logistics and Operations Center (BLOC*) technicians. BLOC technicians send updates to Verizon Online to sideline bulk mail that it has identified as spam.

More than 90 percent of Verizon Online dial-up and DSL customers said they wanted additional help with spam and agreed to use the Spam Detector. Customers can opt out if they don't want to use the Spam Detector service.

Brightmail

Brightmail is the leading provider of e-mail and wireless message management and content-filtering solutions for xSP's, mobile network operators and enterprises, protecting more than 40 million of their mailboxes worldwide. Brightmail Solution Suite is a comprehensive mailwallTM solution that detects and filters spam and viruses from the message flow, requiring no action by the end user. The mailwall solution also provides content filtering and wireless message management, configurable by both the System Administrator and end user. The Brightmail Logistics and Operations Center (BLOC) continuously analyzes millions of e-mail messages each day, deploying real-time abuse countermeasures to customer messaging systems. For more information about Brightmail, visit the company's Web site at www.brightmail.com

Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 128.5 million access line equivalents and 28.7 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. A Fortune 10 company with 256,000 employees and approximately $65 billion in annual revenues, Verizon's global presence extends to more than 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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Brightmail, Probe Network, BLOC and mailwall are trademarks of Brightmail Incorporated.